Shell handling device for trench mortars



p 1947- E. MLWILCOXON 2,427,035

SHELL HANDLING DEVICE FOR TRENCH MORTARS Filed Dec. 1, 1942 Ell-wing Mklilcnxun Patented Sept. 9, 1947 V UNITED STATES SHELL HANDLING DEVICE FOR TRENCH MORTARS 14 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon,

This invention relates to a shell handling device, particularly to a device for loading trench mortar shell into the muzzle from a magazine.

It has been the custom in trench mortar firing to handle the shell individually, dropping a shell into the muzzle of the inclined barrel and relying upon gravity to accelerate the shell to a velocity suflicient to detonate the propellant charge on impact. Mortar firing based on this principle has a number of inherent disadvantages, the first of which is that the mortar cannot be operated below a predetermined minimum elevation. Another objection to this method of mortar firing is that it is slow and cumbersome.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device which may be attached to a trench mortar to permit firing of the mortar at any elevation, and to permit a rapid and uniform rate of firing. This is accomplished by a spring biased fork to grip the shell and force it into the muzzle at a given velocity in addition to its velocity due to gravity. The fork operates in a slotted guide which is secured to' the muzzle of the barrel and is aligned with it. An enlargement at the point of attachment permits withdrawal of the fork and release of the shell, which continues on to the bottom of the barrel where the propellant charge is detonated. A trig er holds the fork in shell receiving position. A magazine feeds shells to the guide and is provided with a stop to keep the shells away from the muzzle except when it is desired to feed a shell to the guide.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which;

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a view in horizontal longitudinal section of a mortar muzzle with the invention attached.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1, showing details not disclosed in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the invention.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation view, with the trigger removed.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation detail view of the stop.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, 2 indicates the muzzle of a trench mortar or similar gun barrel to which the invention is shown attached. A guide 4 is provided with a collar 6 which fits snugly over the muzzle: end of the barrel, holding the guide in alignment with the barrel. The guide is slotted as at 8 to receive shell engaging means such as sliding block Iii carrying the forks or fingers I2 and provided with a handle M. Block I8 is movable in slot 8 axially of the barrel 2. Near the point of attachment of guide 4 t0 barrel 2, the guide is enlarged outward radially, as at I6, to permit withdrawal of shell engaging forks I2 from the shell as the latter is proj ected backward into the barrel. Shellsare shown in dot and dash lines at l8.

Block H] is preferably provided With spring mounted rollers 20' to facilitate its sliding along guide 4. A tension spring 22 biases block Hi toward the gun. Latch or trigger means 24 may be provided to retain block in forward against the bias of spring 22. A cord. 26 may be attached to the trigger to provide means for easy disengagement of-the trigger from theblock.

A magazine 28, is provided to hold shell [8 for feeding to guide 4. As can best be seen. in Fig. 4, guide 4 is substantially semi-circular in cross section, with its open face toward the right as seen in Fig. ,4; Magazine 28 is mounted to feed shells to this open face. A stop 30 is preferably provided to" keep shells from being moved into alignment with the mortar barrel. Stop 30 preferably consists of a substantially rectangular plate, as seen in Fig. 5, having an extending arm 32 adapted to be secured in non-rotating relation to one end'of a shaft 34. The other end of the shaft carries a pinion 36 which meshes with a rack 38. Rack 38 is preferably integral with a reciprocable rod 48, mounted in bearings 42 on the guided. Shaft is rotatable by the rack andpinion "in bearings 44 and 46. An upright rod 48 on rod is positioned to be engaged by handle l4. A spring 50 .on rod 40 may be provided to urge stop 30 downward when handle M is pulled out of engagement with rod 48.

To'insure proper alignment of each shell with the barrel, guide ext'ension'52=is provided in enlargement I6 of guide 4. Shells may be fed toward guide 4 from the magazine by gravity, for

' which purpose the magazine will be inclined, or

by a magazine spring, not shown.

Operation-With shells in the magazine, kept from the'barrel by stop 30, handle I 4 is pushed forward against the bias' of spring 22, moving rod 40 and rack 38 forward and raising stop 30 against the bias of spring 50. A shell rolls into position against guide 4 and is engaged by forks i2. If a latch 24 is provided, handle l4 and block I Bare held in the position shown in the drawings. When it is desired to fire the mortar, handle 14 and block are released for movement by spring 22. Where a latch or trigger is used, this involves pulling the trigger to release the block. Forks or fingers l2 thereupon carry the shell rearward into mortar barrel. As block 10 nears the muzzle, it is carried radially outward into ,enlargement i6, removing forks 12 :from engagement with the shell and permitting the latter to continue to the end of the barrel under the momentum imparted to it by spring 22.

Meanwhile, stop 30 has been dropped down :to hold the next shell away from the mortar muzzle.

If desired, the teeth at the inner end of rack 38 may be cut away, to permit stop 30 'to drop back into place after a shell has been released to the guide. In that case, a suitable ratchet or the like would be provided to permit pinion 136 to rotate loosely on the shaft for thefiring'stroke of the handle M and rack 38.

' I claim:

1. Projectile handling mechanism comprising: a guide adapted to be positioned at the muzzle of a gun barrel, .a magazine positioned to feed projectiles to the guide, projectile engaging meanson the'guide mountedformovement in a direction parallel to the axis of the gunbarrel and 'constructed and arranged. to exert a rearward force .upon a projectile, a spring to bias the engaging means toward the muzzleof the barrel, and a latch to hold the engaging means against movement by'the spring.

- 2. Projectile handling mechanism comprising: a slotted guide adaptedto be positioned at the said guide into said mortar barrel, a spring to 'bias the element toward the muzzle, and a trigger to hold the element in position to receive a shell muzzle of a gun barrel, 9, magazine positioned to feed projectiles to the guide, projectile engaging means mounted in the slot of the guide for movement axiallyof the barrel and constructed and arranged to exert a rearward .force upon a projectile, a spring to bias the engaging means toward the muzzle of the barrel,- and a latch to hold the engaging means againstmovement by the spring.

: 3. The invention of claim 2, in which'the guide isenIarged nearits point of attachment to themuzzle to permit retraction of the engaging -means.

4. 'In projectile handling mechanism, a guide adapted to be positioned at "the muzzle of a un barrel and alignedwith it, a magazine, positioned to feed projectiles'to the .guide, projectile engaging means on the guide mounted for movement-ina directionsubstantiallyparallel to the .axisofthebarrel and constructed and arranged toexert a'rearward force uponaprojectile, .a spring to bias the engaging means toward the muzzle of the barrel, astop to keep projectiles from moving into loading positionon the uide, means responsive to the movement of the projectile-engaging means against the bias of the spring-to move the stop to an inoperative position in whichit permitsa projectileto be moved into loading position on the guide, and a-latch to hold the. en a ingm ansa ainst movement by the spring.

from said magazine.

7. A mortar shell loading device comprising a guide adapted to be secured to the muzzle of a mortar barrel, a magazine on the guide adapted to v:feed'shells to the guide, a shell engaging elementmovable on the guide axially of the mortar barrel, a spring to bias the element toward the muzzle, a stop to keep shell from moving into loading position on the guide, and means to move the stop to permit a'shell to move into lloading :position upon movement of the engagingelement against the bias of the spring.

8. Theinvention of claim '7, and a trigger to hold the element in shell receiving position againstthe bias of the spring.

9. A projectile handling mechanism: comprising a guide adapted to be positioned at the muzzle of the gun, projectile-engaging means on -the guide-mounted for movement in a direction paral-lel to the axis of the gun barrel and constructed and arranged to exert a rearward force on a projeetile, and spring means to bias "the engaging means toward the muzzle of the barrel with suflicient force exerted longitudinally :of'the bar-rel to feed, the projectile through the guide into :Ithe muzzle of the gun.

*10. A projectile handling mechanismi compris ing a slotted guide adapted to be positioned at themuzzle of a gun barrel, a magazine positioned to feed projectiles to the guide, projectile-engag ing means mounted in the slot of the guide for movement axially of the barrel and constructed and arranged to exert a rearward force on a projectijle, and a spring to bias th engaging means toward the muzzle of thebarrel with suflicient force exerted longitudinally of the barrel to feed the projectile through the guide into the muzzle of the gun. i

11.,A mortar shell loading device: comprising an open sided guide. adapted to be secured to the muzzleof awmortar barrel, a magazine on the guide positioned to feed shells into the open side of the guide, a shell-engaging element adjacent said guide for moving a shell from said guideinto said mortar barrel, and spring means to bias the element toward said muzzle with sufficient force applied longitudinally of the barrel to feed the projectile through the guide into the muzzle of the gun.

12. In combination with a mortar barrel, a magazine attached to the .end .of said barrel, an open-sided guide positioned at the end of said barrel to receive the projectile from the magazine, and spring means placeable in tension longitudinally of said barrel for urging the projectile out of the guide into the-barrel of the mortar.

13. In combination with a mortar barrel, a magazine for projectiles attached to the muzzle of said barrel and spring means exerting a force longitudinally of the barrel for feeding a projectile from said magazine into said barrel and for ERVING- M. WILCOXON.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,476,715 Johnson Dec. 11, 1923 1,364,009 Thorleipson Dec. 28, 1920 2,264,791 Fries Dec. 2, 1941 1,827,031 McBride Oct. 13, 1931 163,404 Phillips May 18, 1875 

